Destined To Be
by M. Pond
Summary: This is the story of one group of people and their destiny. This is the story of how they met their fate and dealt with it. This is the story of six teenagers following fate and achieving what they were destined to do. AJFW. ASGW. KBLJ. Faint DH Spoiler
1. Everything Changes

For years there has been the idea of fate. Some people believe in it and others do not. Is there really a set course of events for each one of us? Is there a romance that is meant to be? A person we are destined to meet? A time we are meant to die? Do we have a destiny?

This is the story of one group of people and their destiny. This is the story of how they met their fate and dealt with it. This is the story of six teenagers who fought it one of the greatest wars – the second war, the final battle. But before that, before one of them lost their lives, they fulfilled their destiny to fall in love and do things they were born to do. This is the story of six teenagers following fate and achieving their destiny.

Angelina:

I perched on the armchair in the dark living room wondering exactly how I was supposed to get to King's Cross station in less than thirty minutes. My dad had promised he would drive me, but he had gone out drinking again last night with a few of his mates. They'd gone down to the local pub for "a couple of pints," which meant that my dad would come back half-cut. He did. I'd been in bed when he'd come back and it had been gone four in the morning. The sun had been starting to rise, and I hadn't been able to sleep for the fear of what would happen when he returned drunk. I'd heard him stumble in through the front door, swearing as he knocked the coat rack to the ground. He'd stumbled up the stairs, completely pissed and I'd heard him going into the bedroom he shared with mum. I had lain in bed, silent, as I heard him shouting at my mum about what a useless wife was. I knew what was coming as I lay there, and it took less than a minute before I heard my mum fall against the wardrobe as he punched her. It was always the same. Every night he came back from the pub after drinking too many beers and would lash out at my mum. She wouldn't leave him though. I remembered when I was getting ready to leave for Hogwarts at the start of second year, and my mum had come downstairs with a black eye and split lip. I'd begged her to leave him, for her sake and mine, but she'd told me how she loved him, and how he would change. He never did though, but my mum spent her life convincing herself that he didn't mean it when he hurt her and believing the lies he said about how he would never do it again. That was what my dad did. He would always get drunk and beat my mum up, leaving her black and blue, but the next morning he would be so apologetic. He'd sit in the kitchen, nursing a hangover, as my mum cooked him his usual breakfast. He'd pull her down onto his lap, and stroke the bruise that was forming from his punch the night before. He'd say he was sorry and that he didn't mean to hurt her. That he loved her and she was his soulmate. My mum would giggle and believe it all. Then the next night the same thing would happen. Most of the time my dad would be careful, punching her where it couldn't be seen, but sometimes he would get so angry that he would lash out, leaving her with a black eye or split lip. Once he had even given her a dislocated jaw. Still though, after all of that, my mum went on believing that he loved her. That was why I could never believe in love myself. How can you say I love you to someone, only to hurt them a few hours later? I'd seen my dad say those three little words everyday to my mum, as she sat on his lap, wincing at the pain in her stomach or shoulder. I'd grown up watching my dad, kiss her gently and smile at her, only to beat her that very evening. Love in my house was a twisted logic, a get out clause for hurting someone. Love wasn't something real to me; it was just an excuse.

My dad had only ever laid a hand on me once. Normally I could stand my ground against him, hold my own, even if I was feeling sick with fear. I could stand up to him, so he normally avoided fighting with me. I wasn't weak like my mum, and he didn't like that. My dad liked women he could dominate and take charge of. However, last week, my mum had gone to visit her sister for a couple of days, and so I had been left home alone with my dad. He'd gone out drinking in the afternoon, and had come back that evening looking for a fight. I normally had the common sense to stay out of his way when he went out drinking, but he normally went at night, so I could curl up in bed and hide away. However he'd come back earlier than I had thought he would, and he'd found me cooking dinner in the kitchen.

_I froze as I heard his voice behind me, and his tight grip on my arm. He turned me around so I was facing him, and I recoiled at the stench of alcohol on his breath. _

"_You think you're so clever don't you? Prancing around with your magic. You're a freak like your mum." My dad was a muggle, and he hated it whenever my mum or I used magic in the house. He'd been out though, so I'd used my magic to help cook dinner faster. I could see out of the corner of my eye, my wand chopping onions. He grabbed it and the next thing I knew, he had snapped it in half. "Not so helpful now is it?" He laughed in my face and I wrinkled my nose at the foul smell. I had learnt from years of watching my mum in the same situation that I had to be strong, my dad fed on weakness._

"Get off me. I just want to make dinner. I won't use magic if it makes you so mad." I felt him loosen his grip and I pulled away. However the next second I felt a scalding sensation. I had a delayed reaction as I took in the now empty pan in my dad's hand and the scalding pain on my arm as the boiling water dripped onto the floor. I screamed in pain, but my dad just smirked and lashed out, his fist colliding with my eye. I stumbled backwards, falling against the cupboards and tumbling to the floor. He walked over to me and I felt his foot kick me brutally in the stomach. I gasped for breath as he grabbed me hard by the shoulders and pulled me up. His hands pressed into my shoulders leaving purple bruises.

"_I'm ashamed to call you my daughter," he muttered. Then he turned and headed upstairs, stumbling as he went, complaining about how useless his family was. _

I had sat there for an hour, taking in what had happened. I hadn't been able to heal myself properly since I didn't know that many healing spells. I had managed to reduce the burn on my arm after finding a spell in one of my mum's books, however there were still marks from it. The bruise on my eye was fading, but still prominent, and it hurt to sit properly. My dad had apologised, but I hadn't listened. My mum had seen the bruise on my eye, but she acted as if she were blind to it, like it had never happened. She was still kidding herself that my dad was good at heart and that he didn't mean what he said. She had told me last night that he could never lay a hand on his daughter and that I must have been mistaken. My mum was always naïve.

I decided my best choice was to apparate. I had passed my test a few months ago, but I wasn't very keen on it. Wincing I stood up and headed out into the hallway. The house was silent, but I could hear my dad snoring upstairs as he slept off his hangover. I assumed my mum was still up there with him, so once again, I was going without saying goodbye. I leant down, groaning softly at the pain in my stomach, and grabbed the handle of my trunk. This was the last time I was going to Hogwarts, and I was doing it without my parents even saying goodbye. When I had gone in first year, both my parents had driven me to the station and had come to say goodbye as I went through the barrier. My dad had beaten my mum up the night before and she had still been in pain, but the two had stood there smiling like the happy parents they were supposed to be. I had managed to kid myself that it was finally going to be different and that my dad would change, however that Christmas it had been exactly the same.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the alleyway beside Kings Cross that it was safe to apparate into. Taking a deep breath, I disappeared from my depressing house and headed towards home.

Alicia:

"Alicia, get up! The train is going in an hour." I groaned, trying to block out my mum's perky voice. It was ten in the morning and I really didn't feel like getting out of bed. My muggle friends had taken me out for drinks last night to say goodbye. They all thought I was off to some boarding school in France, so they had wanted to have our annual 'Au Revoir Alicia" party. We'd been at Steve's house until gone two, and I'd had to sneak into my bedroom without waking my mum. Now I was immensely hungover after doing too many shots. I was tempted to just go back to sleep, but as I was pulling my duvet back over my head, my little sister appeared.

"Get up Alicia! Mum's made a special goodbye breakfast for you. She's done pancakes and everything." I sat up, blinking at the bright light filling the room.

"Fuck off Anna," I shouted at her, my head throbbing from the noise and light.

"I'm going to go and tell mum on you!" she yelled before running off down the stairs. "Mum! Alicia swore!" I could hear her shouting. Groaning, I realised I wasn't going to get anymore sleep. I yawned, and reached into my bedroom drawer to grab a vial of the hangover potion Angelina had made a stash of last year. However I was instead greeted with empty vial after empty vial and the discovery that there wasn't one drop left. Shit. I realised I must have used it all up over the holidays. My muggle friends and I had a tendency to go out drinking most nights and get way too drunk. Our nights normally ended with a shots competition, which always left me completely plastered.

Clambering out of my plush bed, I stumbled in the vague direction of the bathroom. The sudden movement made my head sway, and I suddenly felt a rush of bile in my throat. Hurrying into the bathroom, I leant over the toilet and threw up the remains of the alcohol that was in my system. I knelt there for a few minutes on the cool floor, my head resting on the toilet seat, as I retched violently. Eventually I managed to stand up again, and flushing the toilet, I took in my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a mess and my eyes were bloodshot. There were large bags under my eyes, and my skin was greasy and pale. I was still dressed in last night's clothes and I stunk. Trying to ignore the pounding in my head, I stripped off and turned on the shower. I really had to stop drinking.

Twenty minutes later, I left my bedroom looking vaguely presentable. With the use of magic, the bags under my eyes had disappeared and they were no longer bloodshot. My skin was soft and the blemishes had been covered with a layer of foundation. After repeatedly swigging mouthwash, the smell of alcohol and vomit on my breath was no longer present. I could also now talk without slurring my words, and I was wearing clothes that you could actually be seen out in during the day. The throbbing in my head had subsided, however the moment I entered the kitchen, the sight of the greasy sausage and bacon that my mum had cooked, made me retch all over again. I took a seat at the table, and shoved the plate of grease away from me, instead pouring myself a cup of very strong black coffee.

"Aren't you hungry Alicia?" my mum asked, smiling at me. "There's sausages, eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast, cereal, fresh bread, bagels, some croissants I got from the deli, and probably loads more."

"I just want coffee. There's only the three of us mum. Why bother?"

"I wanted to make an effort you know. Give you a good breakfast before you left." My mum didn't use to be like this. She had been a lawyer, working 13-hour days, and normally getting home when we were already in bed. When we woke up every morning, she was already at work and our dad was the one making us breakfast. We never saw her since she was always so busy with work, and even at weekends she'd have to pop into the office to do something. However, last summer my dad had decided he had had enough. He'd met this girl called Tracey, and apparently she was pregnant and they were moving in together. She worked as a nursery school teacher, so she would always have time for her children, according to my dad. I remember the night he left, they had had an almighty row, and my dad had told her that she was a terrible mother who didn't even know her children. I'd sat at the top of the stairs listening to my dad tell my mum that she was no longer the woman he had fallen in love with. They'd argued for hours, and in the end my dad had grabbed his bag and stormed out. They'd divorced while I had been at Hogwarts, and when I came home for Christmas my mum had changed completely. She had quit her high-profile job, and had started working in the local shop. She had sat me and my sister down and told us how she regretted not being around enough for both of us, and how that was all going to change. I could have pointed out that I had less than two years left at Hogwarts, and that when I left, Anna would start, but I could see that she was trying to make an effort, even if it was pointless. My mum had persevered, making us breakfast everyday, sending me food parcels, decorating both our rooms, taking us for walks etc. I knew the real reason she was doing it all though, she wanted dad back. She still loved him and somehow she thought that becoming a Stepford wife would make him want her again. I knew though that he would never come back. Tracey and him had had a little boy, who they had called Robert. My dad had always wanted a boy, and he was always sending me pictures of the baby. My dad had moved on and settled down with his new family, meaning that he didn't have that much time for his old one. He used to come and see us every weekend in the holidays, now we were lucky to see him once a year. My dad had got a whole new life, and I'd been stuck with the Stepford mum and my irritating sister.

Staring across the table, I could see my sister gnashing on her eggs, and the sight of the food swirling around in her mouth and mixing with saliva made me feel violently sick.

"Hasn't anyone ever taught you to eat with your mouth closed?" I asked her, slamming down my coffee cup, splattering drops of the coffee all over the checked tablecloth. She looked at me and opened her mouth even wider. Feeling the bile rising in my throat, I stood up.

"Right that's it! I'm out of here." I hurried out of the kitchen and upstairs. I had packed my trunk last night thank god, so I was ready to get out. I checked to see if my mum was coming up, and when I saw that the hallway was empty, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of vodka. I unscrewed the metal top, and took a large swig of it. I sighed as I felt the familiar warmth as the alcohol rushed through my system. Taking one more gulp of it, I stuffed the bottle in my bag, feeling much calmer. Pulling my trunk behind me, I dragged it and myself downstairs.

"I'm off mum," I shouted, pulling on my jacket. My mum hurried out and looked at me surprised.

"What? You can't go. I was going to drive you." I internally groaned at the thought of my mum taking me to the station.

"It's fine. I'll apparate."

"Well we'll come with you," she said, beckoning to Anna.

"No it's fine." With that, I took hold of my trunk and apparated away to Kings Cross.

Katie:

I sat tapping my foot as I looked at the clock; my little brother Thomas sat on my lap. It was now twenty to eleven and there was no way we were going to make the train. My dad was outside, fiddling with the car that was refusing to start, no matter what he did to it. My dad had had the car since before I was born and it was what you would call a rustbucket. There was a large dent in one of the doors where my dad had been hit a few years back, and one of the doors was so rusty, there was no way to open it. My dad, however, had some stupid idea that a car was a like a fine wine and it got better with age. We'd got in the car fifteen minutes ago and it had made a noise that sounded like it had been strangled, and then nothing. My dad was now desperately trying to get it started, and failing miserably.

"Dad it's not going to work. Just leave it or call a mechanic or something." He looked up at me, and I took in the wrinkles on his face, and his graying hair. He smiled at me, the corners of his eyes wrinkling.

"You've just got to have some faith Katie. I've had this car for 17 years and it hasn't let me down yet." I shook my head as he disappeared back under the bonnet, and I turned my attention to my little brother. He was 10 months old and had learnt to crawl a few weeks ago. Sadly, our house was hardly the safest place for a baby to be crawling about. My dad wasn't exactly the tidiest of people, and there were piles of books and old newspapers everywhere. He was writing a book, and so the whole house was filled with information that he needed for what would his first novel. My little brother gurgled as he once again tried to make a break for freedom, his fat little legs kicking against me.

"You're not going anywhere Tom," I laughed, kissing the top of his head. I stroked his soft golden hair and he smiled a toothy smile at me. A few seconds later, I became aware of the fact that my little brother had just drooled over my best top. Groaning, I stood up and placed my little brother on my hip. "Dad, I'm going to change. Tom just drooled on me." My dad made a vague sound of recognition and I went inside our small house. I spotted Thomas' little chair and I strapped him into it. "You stay here alright," I told him as he just laughed.

I headed upstairs, pulling off my top as I went. I threw it into the overflowing linen basket; sure it would be there by the time I returned for Christmas. My dad and laundry didn't exactly go together that well, since my dad had the belief that as long as something doesn't stink, you can wear it. It was times like that, that I missed my mum. As I entered my bedroom, the only tidy place in the house, I looked at the picture I had of her and me on my desk. It had been taken just after she became pregnant with Tom, and she was sat smiling, showing of her bump. I was sat next to her and she had her arm wrapped around me. We were both smiling and we looked the same. We had the same golden hair and big blue eyes; even our grins were the same. My mum and I had always been very close when I was growing up and she had always called me her "little belle." I smiled at the memory, feeling tears forming in my eyes. I headed over to my wardrobe, and pulled out a pale blue shirt that I hadn't been planning on taking with me. I stood in front of the mirror, buttoning it up, and taking in my reflection. My mum would have only been two or three years older than me when she met my dad. They were both muggles, and he had been a lecturer at her university. She'd told me once how she had fallen in love with him, even though he was 15 years older than her. He'd taken her for coffee one day at this small café, after a lecture, and they'd spent three hours discussing poetry. They'd had to leave when the cafe shut, but my mum had said that that was the day she knew she wanted to marry him. They'd gotten together in her final year, and kept it hidden from everyone. My mum had gotten pregnant three months before she finished though, and she told me how she struggled to hide it from everyone as her bump grew. My dad and her had married just after I was born, and we'd moved to this small house in Surrey. My dad had started lecturing at another university, and my mum had stayed at home to look after me. It was like that until I went to Hogwarts. Then my mum got a job as an English teacher, and my dad quit his job to start writing his book. I don't know if that was when it had all started to fall apart, or if it was when my mum got pregnant again. When my mum had Tom, it was like something changed. She didn't want to stay at home again looking after a baby; she said that she wanted to go back to her job. She started complaining about the lack of money we had, since my dad's novel was going nowhere. One day, I had heard my mum sobbing down the phone to someone about how she couldn't do it anymore. How she couldn't live here anymore, married to a man who was so much older than her, and whose idea of fun was to go for a drive. A few days later, my mum left and my dad told me that she had moved in with the geography teacher at the school, Mr. Fielding. She tried to come to visit sometimes, but I wasn't interested. My mum had been my rock and she had just left me.

I headed back downstairs to see my dad holding Tom. His shirt was covered in oil, but he was smiling.

"Well the car is going nowhere Katie. It may be time to get a new one."

"It's alright dad, I'll just apparate."

"You sure?"

"I have to, otherwise I'll miss the train." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his stubbled check, making sure not to get oil on me. I did the same to my little brother, who gurgled happily. "I'll se you at Christmas alright."

"Yeah, and I'll make sure the house is a bit tidier by then." I surveyed our messy house with its out of date wallpaper, and piles of rubbish. I looked at my old dad with his grey hair and wrinkles and I smiled.

"Nah. I like it as it is." It may not have suited my mum, but I was happy. I took hold of my trunk and imagined Kings Cross station. I felt the familiar sensation as I apparated away from my house and my family.

Lee:

"Oi Lee!" I heard my brother Mike shouting as he passed by the sofa I was sleeping on. "Wake up." I sat up and stared at him, my dreadlocks falling into my eyes.

"It's not like I could have slept with that flipping racket going on is it." I was talking about the loud music that was echoing around the top floor flat. My brother was a DJ and therefore was obsessed with music. His flat paid tribute to what he thought were the best artists around. There were posters of artists from the past 30 years up on all the walls, and my brother continuously played their music. It drove the people below us mad, but he didn't seem to care.

"What this? This is one of Bob Marley's best songs. You need to learn to appreciate great music my brother," he shouted over the music as he began to make breakfast from whatever he could find in the cupboards. I stood up, my head thumping from the noise.

"Do you have to play it so loud?"

"Best way to appreciate it! You want some coffee?" He gestured to the pot that had just made. That's about how far my brother's skills in the kitchen went, coffee making and toast.

"Nah. I'm going to have a shower," I yelled at him. He nodded, but I wasn't sure if that was at me or to the music. I assumed it was at me, and I began to make my way through the mess of the flat to get to the bathroom. The floor was littered with clothes, vinyl discs and empty firewhisky bottles. My brother never bothered to tidy up, saying that it was his flat and therefore it could be as messy as he wanted. I managed to reach the bathroom door without stepping on anything, however before I could open it, it swung open and I came face to face with a woman I had never seen before. She was tall and had long black hair, which was hanging down her back. She was wearing nothing but black lace underwear, and I had full view of her long legs and cleavage. Before I said anything, my brother appeared and I felt him wrap his arm around my shoulders. The girl smiled at him.

"Bro, this is Chenise. Chenise this is my little brother Lee." She glanced at me, before turning back to my brother without so much as a smile.

"I'm going to get off now babe."

"What I don't even get a goodbye?" He kissed her and I stood frozen as my brother's hands began to wander to her bra. He suddenly remembered I was standing there, and he looked at me. Chenise began to lead him towards the bedroom and before he disappeared, he shouted,

"You'll be alright to get yourself to the station yeah? See you at Christmas. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." The bedroom door shut and my brother vanished. I went into the bathroom, shaking my head at my brother doing what he always did, putting women first. I turned the shower on and felt the hot water hit me. I stood there, trying to forget about my brother and one of his many girls and what they were doing on the other side of the wall, however as I stood in the shower, I became acutely aware of the sound of my brother's bed banging against the wall. Groaning, I turned on the shower radio as loud as I could to block out the noise of Mike having sex.

My parents had celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this summer, and so to celebrate, they had gone off on a round the world trip for a year. Apparently they wanted to experience the world before it was too late. That meant that I had been left to go and stay in my brother's grotty flat for the whole of the summer. I'd had to sleep on the sofa, and I spent most nights with my head sandwiched between two pillows, to block out my brother and whichever girl he was with. I would just be glad to get back to Hogwarts, and away from the cold, dark flat that my brother lived in.

I clambered out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I peered out of the door and made sure that neither my brother or Chenise were about. I heard a giggle coming from the bedroom, and I figured they would be busy for another hour or so. By then I would be on the train and long gone. I routed through my trunk for something suitable to wear. Grabbing a black shirt and jeans, I pulled them on and added some black converse. I headed over to the kitchen to get some food, but as I stuffed my hands in my pocket, I felt something. I pulled it out, and found that I was holding a cigarette and lighter. I didn't smoke that much, but it always calmed me down when I did. I headed over to the window, and as I pushed open the rotting wooden frame, the cool air of London hit my face. I sat on the ledge, looking down at the long drop below, and I lit up. I took my first drag and I felt the nicotine rush around my body. I sat there on the ledge, the cigarette between my finger tips, smoking. I watched as the puffs of smoke I blew drifted away into the air. I sat staring over London, the noise from the city below echoing up. My brother had bought a flat in a muggle neighbourhood, even though we were wizards, and so I could see all the cars and buses rushing around below. As I stared at, I could see in the distance, the tracks leading into Kings Cross. It calmed me to know that in less than an hour's time, I'd be on a train to Scotland. Taking one last drag from the cigarette, I stood up and stubbed it out on the ledge. Shutting the window, and blocking the sound from the street below, I headed over to my trunk. I grabbed a packet of my brother's cigarettes and chucked them in. I'd save them for when I needed to be calm. I could go down to the lake and smoke in peace. Slamming my trunk shut, I grabbed hold of it, and hoped to God that I could actually apparate. I had passed my test two week ago, but I had just scraped a pass. Crossing my fingers, I imagined the alleyway by Kings Cross and I apparated away from the flat with a loud pop.

George:

"Get up George. Mum's shouting for us." I rolled over and reached out to swat at my twin who was leaning over the bed. I felt my hand hit air, and my brother laugh. "Crap shot George." I sat up in bed and ran my hand through my messy red hair. It had grown longer, but both Fred and I had refused to have it cut. I took in the room as my vision slowly became less blurry. We were in one of the smallest bedrooms at the top of Grimmauld Place and it was dark and dusty. Mum had struggled to fit two beds in here and there was barely any space to move. Light was shining in through the dusty windows, highlighting the cobwebs that were in the corner of the room. Fred was standing next to my bed in his joggers, and he looked half asleep.

"What time is it?"

"Just after 10. Apparently we all have to go with a guard to the station and we have to walk. So we have to hurry." The next thing I knew, Fred had ripped the duvet off me and I shivered at the cold, goosebumps appearing on my legs.

"Fuck off Fred!" However he threw the duvet onto his bed so I couldn't get it.

"If you want a shower, you better hurry up. I've had one, but Ginny's going to have one in a minute." He lay on his bed, on top of _my _duvet and grinned at me. "Or you can get on the train, stinking for Alicia." I gave him the finger as I stood up and I left our bedroom.

Yawning, I made my way down the rickety staircase that looked like it was going to break at any second. I saw that there was no one outside the bathroom, so I tried the handle and discovered that it was locked. Banging on the door and hoping that it wasn't my mum in there, I shouted:

"Whoever it is in there, hurry the fuck up."

"Fuck off George!" Ginny replied. It'd have to be her wouldn't it? She took long enough to get ready at home, but now we were sharing a house with Harry, she would take twice as long.

"Just be quick!" I slumped down against the wall and began to tap my fingers on the dusty wooden floor. We'd been locked in this house for two months and I was going to be so glad to get away. Mum have been overly protective, and refused to let us go anywhere by ourselves. Instead we'd had to help with cleaning and sorting. On the plus side though, Fred and I had had a lot of time to develop Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. We'd come up with a range of products and thanks to Harry's money, we were going to able to afford a shop in Diagon Alley. Though we hadn't told mum yet or she would flip.

The door creaked open and Ginny appeared dressed in jeans and a strappy top.

"That's a bit revealing isn't it?" I asked, gesturing to the low cut top.

"You wouldn't care if Alicia wore it!" She laughed. Why did everyone keep bringing up the fact that I had a small crush on my friend?

"Alicia isn't my sister, you are. I don't want boys ogling you like that."

"I'm in fourth year George. It's going to happen." She walked away whistling and I went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. Stupid little sister growing up too fast.

Fred:

It was half ten and the first group of people had left to walk to the station. There was a large guard in case Voldemort jumped out and attacked Harry on the way. Sirius had gone with them, in dog form, which had put mum in an even worse mood. Thank God she was going off with Harry, because obviously his safety was more important that her children's. George, Ginny and I were going with Lupin, who was in a much better mood than mum was.

"Come on then, unless you want to miss the train. And don't make a smart remark back to that," he said, rolling his eyes at us. The four of us trooped out of the house, leaving our trunks for Moody to deal with. We made our way out into the sunshine, and the three of us all took in a deep breath of fresh air.

"Air! Fresh air!" I cried, relishing the feel of the sun on me.

"Freedom!" My twin shouted. The two of us high-fived and laughed.

"Could you two behave more like seventh years please?" Lupin said, raising an eyebrow at us. "It's your last year at Hogwarts. Be a tad responsible."

"This coming from a marauder!" I laughed at him. The three of us continued down the street in the direction of the station. It was going to be a long walk, but Moody had decided that this was so much safer than apparating.

George and I lagged behind Lupin and Ginny, who were deep in conversation about something.

"It's our last year at Hogwarts twin," I muttered at George.

"We've got to make it pretty damn special. I'm thinking we should…"

"Go out with a bang."

"Definitely." The two of us laughed, but a part of me felt sad that this was our last time of making the trip to Hogwarts. George and I had wanted to go there since we were little and Bill had been making the trip. Now we were on our last one. We were determined to make this year the best we could and go out in style. Everyone knew about the marauders and we had to make sure that our name went down in history too.

After twenty minutes walking, Kings Cross came into sight.

"We better hurry. The train will be going soon." We began to walk faster and I hurried along. We entered the station and pushed past the crowds of muggles all rushing about for their trains. We made it to the barrier, and making sure no one was looking, we ran through. I felt sad as I realised that is was the very last time I would do that as a student. I shook my head, and went over to join everyone that had gathered in a small group.

"Well look after yourselves," Lupin said, shaking our hands. The chorus of goodbyes began, and my mum pulled me into a hug.

"You behave alright. I don't want trouble in your last year."

"Yes mum," I muttered. Suddenly the warning whistle shouted and everyone rushed towards the train. We were all pulled along in the throng of students, and I could see George laughing as he was dragged along. We made into onto the train, and waved as it began to move.

"He shouldn't have come with us," Hermione said, complaining about Sirius accompanying us.

"Oh lighten up, he hasn't seen daylight for months poor bloke," Ron defended.

"Well, can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Le. See you later." George and I headed off down the corridor, until we spotted Lee in a carriage; he was sat with the window open, puffing on a cigarette.

Lee:

I looked up as the door opened, and saw the twins enter.

"You're not still smoking are you?"

"Calms me down," I shrugged. "Where have you two been all summer?" They exchanged shifty looks, before Fred replied.

"Been busy. Lots of stuff going on and we had family over so we didn't have chance to write. What about you?"

"Staying over at my brother's. That's why I'm smoking again. Only thing to do there. At least tell me you came up with some new products." The two grinned and pulled a range of objects out of their pockets.

"Wait until you see these," George grinned. "Skiving snackboxes. Stub that out though. We don't want ash on the products." I sighed and stubbed the cigarette out before leaning over. The two had created so much stuff over the summer.

"They should be nice little earners," Fred said, gesturing to the nosebleed nougat. "Easy to get out of lessons." We suddenly heard the sound of the carriage door opening and the twins quickly stuffed their products away. Alicia and Katie entered and grinned at both of us.

"What are you three doing?"

"Nothing," we all replied. The girls could be too nosey for their own good sometimes.

"Have you been smoking Lee?" Katie asked, wrinkling her nose.

"No."

"You have! It stinks of it." She sat down next to me and sniffed me. "You stink of smoke. Lee!"

"What? It was only one."

"It's gross though. Don't do it." She glared at me, her blue eyes hard.

"Fine." I grabbed the cigarettes from my pocket and gave them to her. She stood up and chucked them out of the window. "Katie!"

"Now you won't be tempted," she said, giggling. "Did everyone have a good summer?"

"Well my mum was still being Stepford mum," Alicia moaned. "This morning she made every single thing you could have for breakfast. It's ridiculous. Sometimes I wish I didn't have a mum." She froze and looked at Katie. "Oops. Sorry Katie." Katie shrugged and grinned,

"Don't matter." It dawned on me suddenly that Angie wasn't around. Fred however, got there first.

"Where's Ange?"

"We dunno. We checked all the carriages, but she wasn't there. I think she may have missed the train," Alicia replied. Just then though, the carriage door opened and Angelina appeared. We all gasped as we looked at her.

Angelina:

I stood in the toilets on the train staring into the mirror. I couldn't let my friends see me with this black eye. Though it was fading, it was still pretty obvious. I was wearing a hoodie to hide the burn on my arm, but since I was sharing a room with Alicia, she would spot it eventually. I'd been in here since the train journey started ten minutes ago, and I still hadn't come up with a way to hide it. And I could hardly stay locked in here for all of the journey. Suddenly there was a banging on the door,

"Hurry up in there!" Sighing, I examined my bruised eye and hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked. I picked up my trunk and opened the door. I pushed my way out, and the third year Ravenclaw who was waiting, gasped at my eye.

"Shit, what happened to you?" I rolled out the age old excuse that my mum had given a million times before herself,

"I walked into a door yesterday." With that I headed down the train, lurching from side to side as the train hurried on. I peered into all the carriages, trying to spot which one my friends were in. I finally found them in one near the end of the row. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and they all looked up. I watched as they stared at my face and gasped at the large bruise.

"Hey guys," I said, a faint smile on my face. I entered the carriage and tried to lift my trunk up, wincing at the pain in my stomach.

"Let me," Fred said, jumping up. He lifted up my trunk, placing it next to the others, before sitting back down. I sat next to him and felt everyone staring at me.

"What?"

"What the hell happened to you?" George asked, blunt as always.

"Oh I walked into a door a few days ago. Me being clumsy as always." I hated saying it, but like my mum, I was ashamed to admit that I'd been beaten up. That I'd let him do that to me.

"That's bullshit Ange and we all know it," Fred said.

"It's the truth, I swear. I wasn't looking where I was going and…"

"Your dad did it didn't he?" Katie said looking at me, a sorrowful look on her face. All of the group had a good idea about my dad and what he did to my mum. I'd told them all back in fourth year when he'd beaten my mum up so badly that she didn't want me home for Christmas in case he did the same to me. I'd sworn to them that he'd never hurt me and that I would tell them as soon as he did. Now I had to keep that promise. I nodded and the two girls gasped.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Alicia asked, "you could have come and stayed with one of us."

"I just wanted to forget about it and I didn't want to bother you guys."

"Bother us? You're dad beat you Ange. We'd have wanted to be there for you!" Fred said. I stared up at him and saw the anger that was evident in his eyes, not at me, but at my dad. He was my best friend and he always felt like he had to be there to defend me, even when it wasn't his fault at all and he could do nothing to stop it. I shifted so I leant against him, and I felt him wrap an arm around me.

"I should have told you guys, but I was just so mad at myself for letting it happen. He's been abusing my mum since I can remember, and I've never let him get me before." My friends sat in silence, in shock that my dad had hit me.

"Was that all he did?" Katie asked tentatively. I shook my head. I trembled slightly as I shifted away from Fred's warmth, and slowly pulled off my grey hoodie, displaying my burn to them all.

"It was worse, but I managed to heal it a bit. I'm not that great at healing spells though, so…" The five of them gasped at the burn on my arm that I had managed to keep hidden for the past week. Now I looked at it, it made me feel sick that he had done that. Dads weren't supposed to hurt their children.

'Let me see if I can do something," Alicia said, pulling out her wand. She muttered something and waved her wand. I felt a tingling, and saw that the burn had been reduced to very faint marks. "I can't get rid of it completely since it's been there a while, but at least it's less visible."

"Thanks Alicia," I smiled.

Alicia:

An or so hour later, the carriage was peaceful. Katie had gone to talk to a girl in her year, Leanne, about what their homework had been. Sine Katie was out of the way, Lee had pulled out a spare pack of cigarettes from his trunk and had snuck off for a smoke. George was fast asleep; his head leant against the window, drooling ever so slightly. He looked so peaceful and gorgeous like that, it was a shame he was one of my best friends so I couldn't do anything about it. Fred and Angelina was also asleep, curled up in the corner. Fred was leaning against the corner of the carriage, and Angie was lying on the seat, her head in his lap. His hand was resting on her stomach, and she was holding it. They may have been friends, but those two were way too intimate.

I leant back, taking in what Angie had told us earlier. It hurt that my friend was in such a bad state with a dad like that. At least my dad had just run off with another woman, he didn't beat me and my mum.

I suddenly realised I needed a big drink. Making sure everyone was asleep, I grabbed my bag and snuck out. The train lurched suddenly, and I fell against one of the compartment doors. Standing up straight, I staggered towards the toilet. I pushed the metal door open and slipped in, locking it behind me. It stunk, but I didn't care. I could drink in peace. I placed my bag by the sink, and pulled out the bottle of vodka I had taken from my room. I couldn't cope with all Angie's problems as well as my own, but drink would help. I unscrewed the bottle top, and raised the bottle to my chapped lips. I felt the burn as the alcohol poured into my mouth and I began to swallow.

After I felt like I'd had enough, I placed the bottle back down and wiped my lips. The best thing about vodka is that you can't smell it, so my friends would have no idea that I had been drinking. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, and saw that my eyes looked more alive than before. All of a sudden, the train lurched again and the bottle fell onto the floor, smashing into a million pieces and spilling the precious vodka everywhere.

"Shit!" I bent down, and scrambled around trying to save the alcohol, but it was too late. I stood up again, wobbling slightly. Pulling out my wand, I muttered a cleaning spell and the mess vanished. Grabbing my bag off the sink, I opened the door and began to stumble in the direction of the carriage. Suddenly all my worries seemed very far away and I felt on top of the world. Opening the door, I fell into my seat and shut my eyes. I was asleep within seconds.

Fred:

There was a banging on the door, and I was pulled from my sleep. I looked up to see Isabelle Mackie's head peering round the compartment door.

"Just to let you know that we'll be arriving in twenty minutes. Everyone needs to change." I nodded at her and she left. I'd dated her last year and she'd been a really nice girl. Wasn't right for me though. It took me a few seconds to become aware of the fact that Angie was still asleep, her head resting in my lap. I looked at the bruise around her eye, and clenched my fist, infuriated that anyone would do that to her. Taking a deep breath, I shook her gently awake.

"What is it?" she muttered, yawning.

"We've got to get changed, we're nearly there." She nodded and stood up, wincing at a pain in her stomach. "What's wrong?"

"What?"

"Your stomach. Was it him?" She nodded and bent down. She kissed me softly on the cheek.

"Thanks for being so concerned, I don't know what I'd do without you." I grinned at her, before throwing Katie's book at George. He jumped awake, before glaring at me.

"What was that for?"

"Waking you up. It's time to get changed! Having a nice dream about Alicia were you?" He glanced at her quickly before glaring at me. "Shut up!" He threw the book back at me and laughed as it hit my shoulder. Alicia jolted awake suddenly at the noise. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked slightly disorientated.

"What's going on?"

"Time to get changed," Angelina muttered, reaching for our cases.

"Joy!" she replied, before standing up.

General:

The six students hopped off the train as it pulled into Hogsmeade Station.

"It's our last time doing this," Angelina said, as she linked arms with her two best friends, Alicia and Katie.

"Not for me. I've got another year to go after this."

"Well we'll pretend it is your last year," Lee whispered in her ear. She reached back to hit him as he dodged to the side.

The six of them began to make their way to the carriages, each unaware of what the year and the future would bring. Each of them unaware of their destiny.

A/N: Okay, so I'm currently writing 'The Diary of Angelina Johnson' but I'm not too happy about how that is going. I decided to have a go at writing a fiction about all six of the group and I'm aiming to make it a long one with decent length chapters. At the moment, I'm thinking about making this go all the way to a certain character's death (sob), however I may split Hogwarts life and post-Hogwarts into two stories. We'll see how it goes. Oh and to let people know now, if this story does go all the way to that death, there will be NO Angelina/George. I despise that ship, and to me it is only canon if it is in the books, which that ship is not.

Getting a review is the best way for me to find out what people think about the story and what they'd like to see. Plus it's the only reward I get for writing this (unlike JK I don't get half a billion pounds). So let me know what you liked and didn't like and what you'd like to see. Every reviewer will get a nice reply from me (unless they're a flamer) and a cyber chocolate. I'll really appreciate it.


	2. Welcome Back

_"Oi!" Fred shouted towards the bank where the last few first years were standing. The girl he was shouting at didn't appear to notice and so he repeated his shout once more. She was rather small for her age, no bigger than 4"6, and she looked like she hadn't had a decent meal for weeks, her school clothes hanging off her. However her gorgeous caramel coloured skin and shiny black hair were enough to garner attention. She was scuffing her regulation school shoes against the ground and tugging on one of her plaits. That was until she noticed someone shouting. She glanced up, her big brown eyes scanning the small rowing boats to locate the source of the shouts. It took her a minute or so to notice the gangly redheaded boy who was waving his arms madly, his twin desperately trying to pull him back down into the boat which was rocking a tad too much. She bit her lip and continued to stare at him while he beckoned to her. "There's room in this boat." He gestured to the spare piece of bench next to a brunette who was glaring at him._

_Slowly she approached the boat, bowing her head so as not to garner any more attention. She was thankful that the boy sat down, a triumphant grin on his face. The brown haired girl that was sat in the boat held out a hand to her, which she took gratefully. She sat down, staring at the two identical boys that were sat opposite her. She had already forgotten which one had been shouting at her, and as far as she could tell, there were no differences between them._

"_I'm Fred and this is George," one of them said as Hagrid shouted for the boats to set sail. The girl next to her tutted slightly._

"_They're lying, he's George and he's Fred," she said, pointing at the two boys._

"_And how would you know?" _

"_I've just spent seven hours locked in a carriage with you. I think I can at least begin to tell the difference." _

_Neither of the two boys spoke, instead choosing to glare at the girl. Angelina sat quietly, observing the scene while still nervously chewing her lip. The girl next to her was much louder than anyone she usually talked to, not that she had many friends. Her mum had never let her have friends over to play; worried that they'd be there when he lashed out. So the girls at school had stopped inviting her to their houses and parties. The only person who'd she'd even really talked to had been Susie, who was just as quiet as her. The two had sat together in lessons and at lunchtime, talking in their own secret code. The others had laughed at them but they didn't care. Right now she wished so much that Susie had come to Hogwarts as well, but her mum was sending her to the local high school. The two had cried when they realised they weren't going to be together anymore and right now, Angelina just wanted to talk her, not the loud girl next to her._

"_So what's your name?" the girl asked her suddenly, jerking her out of her memories. _

_Angelina didn't get a chance to reply however, because at that moment, the boy she thought was called Fred jumped up and began pointing down into the water._

"_It's the giant squid! Look Forge!" The other boy jumped up as well and began to lean over._

_The next few seconds happened all to fast for Angelina's liking. The sudden movement caused the small wooden boat to topple over and all four of its inhabitants tumbled into the dirty lake. _

_All Angelina was aware of was the light from the moon fading as she disappeared under the water. She couldn't see the other three and she focused on kicking her legs rapidly, just as her swimming teacher had taught her too. It was all in vain though because she had never been able to swim as much as one length, let alone up to the surface of the lake._

_That was when she began to panic as she felt the water fill her lungs and she began to struggle to breathe. She could feel herself being pulled down into the darkness and she flailed frantically to try and reach the surface. Suddenly she felt something brush against her leg and she screamed as she remembered what that boy had said about the giant squid. As she screamed, she felt the water rush into her mouth, choking her. _

_It was at that moment that she felt a large hand clasp her robe and she began to be dragged towards the surface. She was safe. As she broke through the surface, she took a huge gasp of air before she began to cough violently. She was aware of being lain down on a hard surface as she began to splutter and the water poured from her mouth._

"_Eh there we go, bring it all up." Her eyes flew open at the deep voice and she saw Hagrid stood before her. She recognised him from the boats but she was too busy coughing up the water to say anything. _

_Eventually she stopped and he pulled her up._

"_You alright?" She nodded slightly, her eyes brimming with tears. "Alright then, lets get you inside." _

_The bank they were on was deserted and she realised they were right by the school. She gazed up taking in the sight of the formidable castle, and took a shaky breath. _

_He led her inside and she gaped at the huge entrance, before noticing all the other first years stood staring at her. Once again she wanted to cry as she remembered that she was soaking wet. _

"_Got one more for ya Minerva." _

"_Very good Hagrid. Now follow me." _

_The giant wooden doors flung open and she began to lead them into the Great Hall. Angelina continued to stare at the floor as they walked, tears trickling down her cheeks. _

"_We're sorry you know."_

"_Yeah we didn't mean to make the boat capsize."_

"_We thought you'd be alright. Y'know, that you could swim." _

_She glanced up at the pair who were just as wet as she was. They were both giving the same identical grin and she couldn't help but glare at them They didn't look very sorry. _

_She walked past them and stopped on the opposite side of the crowd to them. She'd never wanted to come here in the first place and so far she hated it. She just wanted to go home. She was never going to make any friends here and she'd never even done magic. At that moment she wished she had Dorothy's magic shoes and could wish herself home. Even if she did have to put up with her dad when he was angry. _

_At that moment she felt someone nudge her side. She looked up and saw it was the girl from the boat. She too was wet, her dark hair soaking and her fringe plastered to her forehead. She was smiling however._

"_You should just ignore those two, they're complete idiots. I'm Alicia by the way." She shoved her hand at Angelina and smiled expectantly, her freckle-covered nose crinkling._

"_I'm Angelina."_

"_Well my mum says that…oh what is it? Oh yeah, being in a trauma makes people grow closer. Well we nearly drowned as so I guess that's a trauma. So I guess that makes us best friends Angie." She shook Angelina's hand vigorously, still grinning. _

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

Angelina jerked from her daydream as Fred waved his hand in front of her face.

"What?"

"You were on planet Angelina again love."

She sighed slightly as she let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Through the torrential rain, she could make out the sight of the lake. It looked like it was ready to burst it banks any minute and she couldn't help but pity the first years that were currently trundling across.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about our first trip to Hogwarts."

Both Fred and George smirked at the comment as they too remembered the eventful trip across the lake.

"Oh yeah. I believe that cemented our friendship," George laughed.

"Actually I think it made me hate you. Nearly killing someone isn't the best way to make friends with someone."

"We didn't nearly kill you."

"I was drowning!"

"Well we didn't mean to make the boat capsize."

"Yes because that makes all the difference in the world. 'Sorry sir I didn't mean to kill your daughter.'"

"Shut up."

Angelina stuck her tongue out at Fred who reciprocated the gesture, while Alicia laughed quietly at her two friends.

"Alright you two, don't kick off an argument? I mean who would have thought it? That quiet little girl who Fred practically forced into our boat is now confident enough to start arguments."

"I think she's confident enough to start more than arguments," Lee laughed from his position in the corner of the carriage. Katie was curled up against him, her eyes closed and it appeared until she was asleep until she spoke.

"Now that's an Ang I would've liked to have met. A quiet one."

The group laughed, except for Angie, who glared at Katie.

"And you call yourself a friend Bell?"

"It's true though Ang. Back then you wouldn't say boo to a goose. I seem to remember that it took you three months to even answer a question in class. Now you're in line for the captaincy."

At that point Angie looked up, her face slightly paler than before. She'd been avoiding thinking about the captaincy all summer, scared of jinxing it. She knew that the spot was now open since Wood had left last summer and that everyone thought she should get it. It didn't mean she wasn't freaked though. Her dad had brought it up a few times, but that had only been to tell her that there was no way that she was good enough to lead a team.

She shivered slightly at the thought of her dad and tried to force it to the back of her mind.

"Well to be fair, when you get ambushed by a soaking wet girl who declares you're now best friends, you tend have to gain some form of confidence."

"Oh very funny."

"True though."

"Shut up. Do you want me to remind everyone how you used to be a midget?"

* * *

Alicia's P.O.V

Silence had befallen the carriage for the past few minutes as the carriages covered the last mile or so of track. Katie and Lee were curled up in one corner, both with their eyes shut and breathing softly. Angie and Fred were at the other end, talking in hushed tones and I couldn't hear what they were saying, no matter how much I strained to listen. The only other person in the carriage was George and he was engrossed in a piece of parchment. I'd asked him what it was but he'd just given me some mumbled answer. I could easily guess though that it was something to do with the pranks that Fred and George kept inventing.

I sighed and leant my head back against the faded leather seats of the carriage. My head was still banging slightly but I was just thankful that it had faded at least partly. I was tempted to ask Angie to make me some more of that potion to deal with hangovers, but the batch she had made me was meant to last until next year. I couldn't exactly tell her that I had used it all in one summer. She wouldn't take that well. The two of us were close but I didn't dare let her know the extent that my drinking went to. I knew that she'd be disappointed in me and would then start blaming me, I couldn't put up with that. Anyway I could deal with it myself. Now I was back here I wouldn't even be able to get hold of drink.

It was only another couple of minutes before the carriages stopped and we all groaned as we saw the rain that was falling from the sky. We could barely make out the castle, only the dim lights were visible through the downpour, and none of us felt at all inclined to face it.

I shivered as the carriage door opened and a rush of ice cold air entered the coach. The wind was howling outside, the rain rushing down. Fred jumped out first, swearing at the weather. He held his hand out to Angie, who accepted it, leaping from the carriage into the rain. It only took a few seconds before they had completely disappeared from sight, Angie's shrieks lost in the sound of the rain.

"Come on Spinnet, get moving," George mumbled to me.

I sighed and shuffled along the warm leather seats, anxious to avoid being in the rain for as long as I possibly could. I hated this weather.

I screamed as I jumped out of the carriage into the rain. The line of vehicles had stopped a short way from the school and we were all going to have hurry in the storm, to get inside. Lee, who was the last person to join us outside, grabbed Katie's hand and began to pull her in the direction of the castle.

"Come on!" he shouted to us over Katie's screams and the pounding of the rain.

Before I could realise what was happening, I felt George grab hold of me and begin to pull me along. I screamed as I stumbled, my foot slipping in a puddle. However as I watched my best mate laugh as he too stumbled in the rain, I began to giggle and I pulled away from him, racing in the direction of the warmth.

"Hurry up you loser!" I shouted as I ran past Katie and Lee.

I could faintly here George behind me as he ran to catch up with me. I laughed and began to run faster, the wind blowing into my face and the rain soaking me.

The two of us skidded to a halt in the entrance of the castle, our laughter echoing through the huge chamber. I stared at George, who resembled a drowned rat – his hair plastered to his forehead, and water dripping from his face – and I began to laugh even harder.

"If you think I look funny, you should see yourself," he grinned, shaking his head like a wet dog, droplets of water splattering everywhere.

The two of us stood there, leaning against each other, laughing as puddles of water formed around our feet. Katie and Lee stopped in front of us, both confused as to why we were laughing so much. They were both soaked to the skin, their robes stuck to them. Lee pulled off one of his shoes; a torrent of water pouring from it and Katie squeezed her ponytail, attempting to wring it dry.

"Where are Fred and Angie?" I asked, aware of the missing two in our number.

Before Katie or Lee could answer however, the sound of Angie's dirty laugh echoed in my ears and I looked over to the entrance. I watched as my best friend came in on Fred's back, laughing her head off. The two of them were not only soaking wet, but were also covered in sticky mud and shrieking with laughter. Their robes were coated with splodges of mud, as was their hair.

"What the hell happened to you two?" I asked as Angie jumped off Fred's back, nearly slipping on a puddle of water. He flung an arm out, catching her, and the two broke into hysterical laughter again.

As the rest of the school entered, the two staggered over to us, desperately trying to control their giggles.

"Ang fell…"

"You pushed me!"

"I did not!" She glared at him and stuck her tongue out at, which he reciprocated. The two laughed again, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling him into her. "As I was saying, Ang fell into a rather muddy puddle, and she pulled me down with her." The two began to snort as they remembered the incident.

"It was all your fault! You pushed me and I grabbed onto the nearest thing, you!"

"Oh really! Well I remember you stumbling and falling over. You grabbed me and pulled me down. This is your fault." She began to laugh loudly as he began to tickle her, the one thing she couldn't stand.

"FRED…stop it…ah…stop…stop it!"

"Admit it was your fault!"

"I will not!" she cried in response, desperately gasping for breath as he began to tickle her even harder. Suddenly her hand flung out and she hit Fred hard across the face. He let go of her, staggering backwards.

"Fuck!" he cried, his hand flying to his face. Angie spun to attend to him, apologising profusely as his nose began to bleed. I turned to George, who was staring at his brother, looking bemused.

"Those two are _way_ too intimate," I whispered to him and he grinned at me. He leant closer to me to make sure that his twin couldn't hear, and whispered,

"You'd think they were doing it with the way they behave," he laughed. Suddenly all thoughts of my best friend and her relationship with Fred flew from my mind. George's close proximity to me, and his warm breath in my ear, made my heart begin to race. He was so close that I could smell him. He smelt of a mix of his aftershave, damp from the rain and gunpowder. I didn't even want to know why he smelt of gunpowder, but something about the smell made me feel different. It was like the world suddenly stopped moving, and all there was, was George and I. I began to feel faint as I felt his warm body rest against me, and suddenly what had just been a friendly gesture, felt like so very much more.

I didn't have a chance to reply, because at that moment McGonagall appeared at the top of the stairs, and George pulled away from me. I felt at a loss, and I wanted him to be close to me again. Shaking my head, I withdrew my thoughts from my strange feelings from one of my closest friends, and instead attempted to focus on the professor who was standing on the old, marble staircase above me.

"Look at the state of you all. Some of you are seventh years, and yet you're standing here coated in mud," she said, her glare focusing on Angie and Fred. "Do none of you know a simple cleaning and drying spell?"

Within seconds, the entire collection of students in the hall was both clean and dry. I sighed as I felt the dampness of my clothes vanish. However I tensed as I felt George slip his arm into mine.

"So this time she chooses to dry us off," he laughed softly in my ear. "Come on then. Lets go to dinner."

* * *

Fred's P.O.V 

I knew the sorting was a tradition at Hogwarts, but right at this moment I really hated it. I hadn't eaten in a good four hours and I could hear my stomach beginning to grumble. And it didn't help that they had just called "Nathaniels, Jacob." That meant that there was a good long wait until Dumbledore actually let the feast begin.

"Bet he's a Slytherin."

I glanced over at my best friend who was staring at me. I grinned back at her, my eyeline deliberately just too low so I wouldn't see the bruise around her eye, which was still partially visible.

"Well that's an easy one. He just screams Slytherin."

"Fine then, what about her?"

I looked towards where she was pointing. A young girl by the name of Chloe Noel had just been called up. She was visibly shaking and her blue eyes were brimming with tears.

"Definitely Hufflepuff."

"You think? See I'd say Ravenclaw."

"You're losing your touch Johnson," I muttered, a second before the hat screeched 'RAVENCLAW!'

I glared at her, noting the smirk that was gracing her face. "How the hell did you get that?"

"Lest you forget Fred, I too was shaking and crying when I was sorted."

"Merlin woman, how many times do I have to apologise for that? It was six years ago!"

"I'm just reminding you," she said as she drummed her fingers against the table.

I sighed slightly and gazed at her, my eyes focused on her faint black eye.

"Are you alright? You know after everything?"

She looked up at me with an overly cheery smile.

"I'm fine," she said before staring into the distance.

I took the moment of silence to take in all the tiny signs that let me know that she was anything but okay. We'd been friends since the second month of first year and best friends since we started playing quidditch in second year. That was enough to mean that I knew her better than the majority of our year did. In fact Alicia and Katie were the only two who knew Ang better than I did.

I saw the way she was biting her lip nervously, the same way she had been the first time I ever saw her. Every time she shifted slightly, she gave a small wince and she bit her lip even harder. She'd also been careful to arrange her robe in such a way so no one would notice the last traces of the burn. Then there was the way that she kept brushing her fringe over her eye. I knew she was anything but okay. However I also knew she wouldn't let me know that she wasn't alright until she was ready to talk.

As if she could read my mind, she stared at me.

"I'm not fine Fred. In fact I'm anything but. But just for tonight, I want to put that all behind me and be normal okay? I'll talk to you about it tomorrow."

I nodded at her, thankful that she would at least be willing to talk about it eventually. I gave her a cheeky grin.

"Alright then. Now Macy Burrows, she's hot right?" I asked, gesturing over to the Ravenclaw seventh year.

"You have a girlfriend Fred!"

"Well there's no harm in looking."

She frowned a little before stretching across the table and hitting me on the arm.

"Behave. And speaking of the devil…"

I glanced over in the direction that she was looking and saw my girlfriend, Sophie Newmark, heading over to our table. Damn she was gorgeous. We'd been dating since March last year and she was my first serious girlfriend. It'd taken me a few weeks to actually get the courage to ask her, which was highly unusual for me, and I'd been pleasantly surprised when she'd said yes. She was stunning with chestnut brown hair that normally fell around her shoulder, and these bright green eyes that had an intensely piercing gaze. Plus she was Ravenclaw so we could actually have some form of conversation.

She slid into the seat next to me and kissed my cheek.

"I've missed you this summer."

"Well I've missed you too. Sorry I couldn't write but…well I got caught up in some family business."

"That's okay. I've got you all to myself now anyway." She kissed me again, on the lips this time and it took us a good thirty seconds to remember we were in the school hall.

"You know some of us actually want to be able to enjoy this feast, it being our last and all. So if you wouldn't mind leaving the snogging until after the food," George muttered.

"Just because you're single twin," I laughed before turning back to Sophie.

I saw that she looked slightly uncomfortable sat at the table and I realised that I was the only person she really knew in Gryffindor. She spent most of her time in the Ravenclaw common room or down by the lake, and since we had most of our lessons with Slytherin, our houses didn't mix that much.

I sighed slightly, before kicking Ang hard under the table. She turned away from Katie and glared at me.

"Ow! What was that for?"

I gave her a dirty look and gestured to Sophie. She stared at me slightly confused for a second before a look of understanding passed across her face.

"So you play chaser for Ravenclaw Sophie?"

The two descended into a conversation about quidditch and I turned my attention to the sorting. I was ecstatic to see that there was only one nervous first year left – a "Zeke, James." When McGonagall called his names, he stumbled up the steps and blushed in embarrassment before the hat was placed on his head. It took a few seconds before the hat declared him to be a Gryffindor. Our whole house clapped until Dumbledore declared the start of the feast. Thank God.

I instantly dived in and noted Ang doing the same. We both grinned as we grabbed chicken drumsticks and a pile of fries each.

"So what happened to your eye Ang?" Sophie asked as she swallowed her mouthful of pizza.

I saw Ang freeze slightly, though it was only for a split second. She continued to load the food on her plate, avoiding looking at Sophie.

"It was just me being my usual klutzy self. I was racing down the stairs and miscalculated the steps. Slam straight into the doorframe. Flipping well hurt as well," she laughed.

"Ouch," Sophie replied as she helped herself to some fries. "You won't be doing that again."

"Definitely not," Ang said, her tone more serious and her face deadpan.

I sighed slightly as I picked at my food and tried to focus on talking to Sophie. Ang and I were going to have to have that talk, and we were going to have to have it soon.

* * *

George's P.O.V

"Right so what is tonight's entertainment?" I asked as I ran a hand through Alicia's hair absent-mindedly.

The six of us were spread out across the couches, resting after pigging out at the feast. Lee was sat on the arm of one of the couches with his arm hovering hesitantly near Katie's hand. The pair were both lost in deep thought and didn't appear to have heard me. Alicia was next to me, drumming her fingers against the couch and it looked like she was about to fall asleep. In fact they all looked half asleep.

"I think I'm going to go off to bed," Alicia said, yawning.

"Yeah I'm going to as well," Katie said. "And I really need to start mixing with my year a bit more, what with all you lot ditching me in June."

We all laughed slightly but we knew that Katie was finding it hard at the thought that she'd be alone at Hogwarts next year.

"Lee what about you?" I asked, looking up at my mate hopefully.

However he was staring after Katie despondently as she disappeared up the stairs.

"What?" he asked startled as I repeated his name.

"I was asking if you wanted to do something."

"Uh actually I'm gonna go to bed too."

"Brilliant. Fred? Ang?"

Ang shook her head at me and stood up.

"Sorry George, I just want to have a shower and sleep. I'll be up for something tomorrow though."

I was about to respond when I noticed that Fred had stood up too.

"Oh I was going to ask if you wanted to talk about what happened."

"You've got a date with Sophie."

"She won't mind if I cancel and…"

"No. Go and see you're girlfriend. I'll be fine for one night."

She stretched slightly and gave him a one-armed hug. After a few seconds, she pulled away and walked towards the stairs, pausing to ruffle my hair.

"I am not a dog Angelina!"

"You'd make a cute one though," she laughed. "Night boys."

"Well I'm off for my date. Have fun twin."

With that Fred headed off to the exit, leaving me all alone.

"Brilliant. First night of Hogwarts and I've been abandoned," I grumbled as I leant back against the sofa. "Bloody brilliant."

**A/N: I am so sorry that it has been so long since I updated. I only did the first chapter as a sort of test to see if I wanted to write it. I focused on my Angelina one instead but I've since deleted it and I'm going to focus on this one a lot more. I will try to be a lot more regular with the updates but it'll take a while because the chapters will hopefully be about 5000-6000 on average.**

**I hope you enjoyed this and please review it – I'd really appreciate it. And every reviewer will get their own Fred or George Weasley :)  
**


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